Iran says US strikes to have 'everlasting consequences' – DW – 06/22/2025
Iran's top diplomat defended the country's right to "a legitimate response in self-defense."
Trump has meanwhile warned that that the US "will go for more targets" if Tehran does not make peace. Follow DW for more.Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the US of violating the UN Charter and international agreements with its bombing attacks on nuclear sites in his country.
"The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons] by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences, Araghchi said, stressing that "this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior" must alarm every UN member.
"In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people."
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The US attacks on nuclear sites in Iran have not raised radiation levels in the Gulf region, the Saudi regulatory authorities said on Sunday.
"No radioactive effects were detected on the environment of the Kingdom and the Arab Gulf states as a result of the American military targeting of Iran's nuclear facilities," the kingdom's Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Iran's National Nuclear Safety System Center has also issued a statement saying that no radiation had been released to the environment through the attacks.
Authorities in Iran said Sunday there are "no signs of contamination" after the US attacks on the country's key nuclear sites in Isfahan, Fordo and Natanz.
"No signs of contamination have been recorded," said Iran's National Centre for the Nuclear Safety System, which operates under Iran's Atomic Energy Organization.
"There is therefore no danger for the inhabitants living around the aforementioned sites."
The attack on Iran's nuclear facilities marks a significant shift for US President Donald Trump, who came to office promising he would keep the US out of foreign wars and often criticized military interventions.
Trump's decision to attack Iran has stirred a storm across the US political spectrum.
US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican of Louisiana, came out in favor of the attack, saying it "prevents the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, which chants' Death to America,' from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet."
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, a Republican of Idaho, said: "This war is Israel's war, not our war, but Israel is one of our strongest allies and is disarming Iran for the good of the world."
Others, including Democrats as well as hardcore Trump supporters often referred to as "MAGA," criticized the decision.
US House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said: "President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East."
The Israeli Airport Authority said the country's airspace will remain closed over fears of a possible Iranian retaliation to the US strikes on nuclear sites in the country.
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization acknowledged the US attacks on Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz, but said they would not deter the country from carrying on its nuclear activities.
It also said that the strikes by the US on its nuclear sites violated international law.
The agency did not share details about the extent of the damage from the US strikes that President Donald Trump announced earlier.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was gravely alarmed by the use of force by the US against Iran, and called it a "direct threat to international peace and security.
The US strikes in Iran are a "dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge," and urged for de-escalation in a statement.
"There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world," Guterres said.
"At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos," Guterres said in his statement. "There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace."
President Donald Trump said the strikes carried out in three Iranian nuclear sites resulted in them being "completely and totally obliterated," labeling the operation a "spectacular military success."
Trump concluded his speech by threatening Iran should it not return to the negotiation table.
"There will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran," Trump said, adding that the US "will go for other targets" should that not be the case.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump for carrying out strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran.
According to Netanyahu, Trump's decision "will change history," with the US doing "what no other country on earth could do."
"History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime the world's most dangerous weapons," Netanyahu said, concluding his message by saying that "the forces of civilization" thank Trump for his decision.
US broadcaster CNN reported, citing unnamed sources, that President Donald Trump hopes the airstrikes carried out by the US Air Force would lead the way to new diplomatic efforts with Iran.
According to the report, the US is not planning additional strikes as of now.
NBC News also reported, citing White House officials, that Trump was expected to say in his address later that no additional strikes inside Iran were planned.
The Israeli army tightened restrictions across Israel as a precautionary measure following the US airstrikes in Iran.
Only "essential activity" will take place, while schools and other gatherings will be prohibited.
The measures are in effect as of 03:45 local time (02:45 CEST).
An Iranian official confirmed that part of the nuclear site in Fordo was attacked by "enemy airstrikes," according to Iran's Tasnim News Agency and IRNA agency.
Israel was kept in the loop ahead of the US airstrikes on three nuclear sites in Iran, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported.
According to the report, the two countries were "in full coordination" ahead of the strikes.
US President Donald Trump will hold a speech at the White House regarding the American strikes in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.
The speech will take place at 10 p.m. local time (02:00 UTC/04:00 CEST).
"Iran must now agree to end this war," Trump posted on his Truth Social account.
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